Lula meets with Michelle Bachelet and reaffirms his support for her to lead the United Nations.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva met on Monday (11) at the Palácio do Planalto with former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, who is vying for the position of Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), the highest position in the international organization of countries. The UN has never been headed by a woman. "Her experience as head of state and her deep knowledge of the UN qualify her to be the first Latin American woman to lead the organization," Lula said in a social media post. The president said that during the meeting, they discussed the global situation and the need to reform the UN and strengthen multilateralism. Currently, António Guterres of Portugal leads the United Nations. He was re-elected in 2021 for a second five-year term (2022-2026), after starting his term in January 2017. The next Secretary-General will assume office on January 1, 2027, but diplomatic efforts are already underway. Bachelet's candidacy was presented in early February by the governments of Chile, Brazil, and Mexico. However, at the end of March, after the change in leadership in the Chilean presidency with the arrival of the conservative José Antônio Kast, the South American country withdrew its support. Brazil and Mexico continue to support the Chilean leader. According to the principle of rotating representation in the UN, Latin American countries believe that the next head of the organization should come from Latin America and the Caribbean. The Secretary-General of the UN is responsible for representing the international organization in meetings with world leaders, chairing the Coordination Council of Executive Heads of the United Nations system, and working to promote world peace and prevent the escalation of disputes and conflicts between countries. Profile Michelle Bachelet is 74 years old and served as President of Chile for two terms: from 2006 to 2010 and then from 2014 to 2018. Before governing the country, she served as Minister of Defense and Minister of Health. The Chilean politician has a political background in the center-left and was a prominent leader against the dictatorship in Chile, between 1973 and 1990. On the international stage, Bachelet served as the head of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and led UN Women.